I received my Z6ii today and took it out for a spin at a local beach area. These are just some VERY preliminary thoughts. I normally wouldn't share this stuff, but we're all friends here
Sadly, all I could find were seagulls (and they would't let me approach as close as I'd like), but I did have a chance to pop off some flight shots. Nothing artistic and I can't post them yet anyway (Lightroom doesn't support the Z6ii yet and I'd sooner chew off my own arm than use Capture NX-D).
Anyway, in reviewing the images on the back LCD panel, I have to say, it's looking pretty good. Most of the shots where sharp (really sharp) and the camera seemed to lock on well and wasn't apt to drop the target - although, it was an easy target! The bad thing was the birds were more at a distance for DX shooting, there was a lot of DoF to cover up errors, even at F/4 with my 600mm. Still, I think from strictly an AF standpoint, it's looking good. It's no D6 or D850, but it can get the job done. I may revise this when I can finally load the images into Lightroom
A few other notes...
CH Extended is still a rather useless side show and not good for tracking birds from side to side.
There does seem to be less blackout and lag seems better too - although it's hard to tell this early in the game.
Start up time is WAY better - like a split second! I lost more than a few quick moments when my Z6/7 went into standby mode, I don't think that's a problem anymore.
The new buffer is really good - I never touched it once this evening. I haven't put it through it's paces yet, so I can't give any specifics.
The FTZ adapter did need a firmware update. I thought it was simply an extension cord, but there must be a chip in it. So, that may explain why F mount lenses are slower on the Z cameras - the signals must need translated through the adapter. I haven't tested the AF speed yet with the adapter, but it seems about the same as on the MK I cameras. I could be wrong though, I'll have to test.
Also, I was able to leave Apply Settings To Live View turned on and performance was great. I always shut it off with the first Z6, but never felt the need to tonight.
Obviously, I'm just getting started with it, but so far, so good
Update 11-10-2020
I was out again this morning with the Z6ii, this time after bucks in a local park. A couple quick notes.
I was using the same battery as before and ended up shooting a lot more than I wanted (I'll explain why in a moment). However, I did want to mention battery life because I know there was some concern. I charged the battery when I received it ands do far have shot 1800+ images with the camera. My charge shows exactly 50%. This is just normal shooting, not too much chimping but some menu diving (I'm kind of setting it up as I go because, well, I'm lazy).
I'm pretty happy with the battery life and I think part of it is because the shorter startup time allows for a shorter standby timer. With the first versions of the cameras, I would set a 5 minute timer because it took
so long to wake back up when it went into standby. That way, if I was waiting for something to happen I was always ready. Now, I have standby set to just 1 minute - if it goes into standby mode, it's on in less than a second, no big deal and it less battery usage
By the way, and this applies to all the Zs, I found another use for the CH Extended feature this morning. I was photographing a buck who was striking some nice poses, but he was also vigorously chewing his cud at the same time. I used the 10FPS (shooting 14 bit RAW, so I can't hit 14) frame rate to knock out longer series of shots as he chewed so I can capture a few with his mouth closed and not in some weird chewing position. Since he was just looking at the camera, the slide show wasn't a problem and in fact worked to my advantage since I could spot when I got the shot (about 1 in 5 it seemed). Oh, and so far, I've not hit the buffer with my XQD card in there - even for longer sequences at the higher frame rate. (I did a quick test, looks like just over 130 shots on an XQD card shooting in 14 bit RAW - for the little mini review video I'm planning, I'll get you some more thorough numbers).
Update 11-29-2020
OK, I did an AF speed test with the Z6, Z6ii and the D850. I used my 600 F/4, 200-500, 500PF, and the 24-70 S series lens.
You're not gonna like this if you're a Z fan...
There's no significant improvement in AF speed with adapted lenses that I can detect with my tests. The tests were from minimum focus distance to infinity. Here are the results:
600mm
Z6ii = 1.5 seconds
Z6 = 1.4 seconds
D850 = 0.5 seconds
I honestly have no idea why the Z cameras were so slow with that lens. I ran the test multiple times and the results were the same each time.
200-500mm
Z6ii = 0.9 seconds
Z6 = 1 second
D850 = 0.8 seconds
In this case, I think the cameras can all drive the lens pretty much as fast as it can go.
500PF
Z6ii = 0.7 seconds
Z6 = 1 second
D850 = 0.4 seconds
Here, we see the Z6ii does hold a slight advantage, but no where near as fast as the D850.
24-70 Z
Z6 = 0.7 seconds
Z6ii = 0.7 seconds
So, neck and neck there.
Overall, AF speed is roughly the same, at least from minimum focus distance to infinity between the Z6 and Z6ii. The D850 is still faster in every test.
However, I have noticed in the field that the closer the system is to proper focus, the faster it'll drive the AF ring. So, if you start at minimum focus, it's not so great. However, if your subject is at 50 feet and you start at 30 feet, it latches on at speeds that seem comparable to DSLRs. The Z6ii also feels more confident with AF and is not subject to as much hunting and seems more accurate than the first model.
In short, while these results are a little disappointing (at least to me), keep in mind that most of the time we aren't racking the focus back and forth from minimum distance to infinity - and that sort of hunting happens far less with the Z6ii than it did with the Z6. Overall, I still like the AF much better in the new camera.
